Cash on delivery

Is a COD advance a scam?

Many Instagram sellers in India ask for a small COD advance, also called partial COD or a booking fee. Why they do it, how common it is and when to be careful.

ByVouchKart ResearchUpdated 3 Nov 2026First published 21 Oct 20264 min read
A shopper pays a ₹100 booking fee on her phone while a courier hands over the parcel, with the rest paid on delivery

What a COD advance is

With full cash on delivery (COD) you pay nothing until the parcel arrives. With a COD advance you pay a small amount online first (₹100, say) and the rest in cash when it's delivered. Checkout pages often call this partial COD. Sellers also call it a booking fee, a booking amount or a token amount. The advance is normally part of the price, not an extra charge on top.

Why honest sellers ask for one

When a buyer refuses a COD parcel, the seller has usually paid to ship it out and back. Sometimes the product comes back damaged too. A big brand can absorb that. A small seller running an Instagram shop often can't. An advance puts off orders placed on a whim and gives the seller something back if the parcel is refused.

How common it is

Of the 41,055 sellers in India that VouchKart had checked by 3 Nov 2026, 13,057 have a live website we could read. Only 2,322 of those websites (18%) state their COD terms, including the ones that say they don't take cash on delivery at all. Of those 2,322 shops:

How shops in India that state their COD terms handle cash on delivery
Full cash on delivery: 63% (1,458 shops)
Part paid upfront: 19% (442 shops)
No cash on delivery: 18% (422 shops)
  • 63%Full cash on delivery1,458 shops
  • 19%Part paid upfront442 shops
  • 18%No cash on delivery422 shops

Out of 2,322 shops in India whose website states its COD terms, as of 3 Nov 2026.

Most offer full cash on delivery. About one in five (19%) ask for part of the payment upfront. Another 18% don't offer cash on delivery at all.

Outside India it's much rarer. Only 6% of shops elsewhere that state their COD terms ask for part payment upfront.

When shops name the amount, it's usually small. The most common flat amounts are ₹99, ₹100, ₹150 or ₹200. Shops that charge a share of the price ask for 10% to 50% of the order value.

Normal, worth a closer look or a red flag

  • Normal

    A small fixed amount or a small share of the price. It's written on their website or told to you before you order. The rest is paid on delivery and the total doesn't change.

  • Worth a closer look

    Half the price or more upfront. Terms that are only in a DM and not written anywhere. A new account, comments turned off or no other way to check who they are.

  • Red flag

    A demand for more money after you've paid the advance, labelled "GST", "courier charges" or "customs". No replies once the advance is paid. No tracking number. A last-minute switch from COD to paying everything upfront.

Before you pay a COD advance

  • Look the seller up on VouchKart. Check whether their website links back to their Instagram, what their return policy says and whether their phone number is the same in their bio and on their website.
  • Get the numbers in writing. Ask for the full price, what you pay now and what you pay on delivery. A screenshot of the chat is enough.
  • Pay by card if you can. If the parcel never comes, your bank can dispute a card payment. A UPI payment you made yourself is much harder to get back. If you do pay by UPI, check the name that shows up before you confirm and save the transaction ID.
  • Don't pay a second advance. An honest seller includes everything in the price before you pay.

If something goes wrong

If the seller blocks you or demands more money, don't pay anything else. Call the National Cyber Crime Helpline on 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in straight away. The sooner you report, the better the chance of stopping the money. Have these ready:

  • The 12-digit UPI transaction ID (UTR) or card transaction details
  • The UPI ID or account the money went to
  • Screenshots of the chat and of their profile, before it disappears

Then report the account on Instagram: on their profile tap the menu, then Report, then Misleading or possible scam.

Our guide on what to do after a UPI scam has the full steps, including how held money gets returned.

If they still reply but the parcel doesn't come, ask in writing for a delivery date or your advance back. If that doesn't work:

  1. Paid by card? Ask your bank to dispute the payment. Paid by UPI? Raise a dispute on the transaction in your UPI app.
  2. Complain to the National Consumer Helpline on 1915, on WhatsApp at 8800001915 or at consumerhelpline.gov.in.
  3. If it's still unresolved, file a consumer complaint online at e-jagriti.gov.in.

Once it's settled, good or bad, find the seller on VouchKart and leave a review. It puts what happened on record and helps the next buyer decide.

These figures come from VouchKart's snapshot of 41,055 checked sellers in India as of 3 Nov 2026. COD figures count shops whose website we could read and that state their COD terms. How we check sellers.

Sources

  1. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
  2. National Consumer Helpline: ways to file a complaint
  3. e-Jagriti: file a consumer complaint online
  4. Instagram Help: report a seller or product